Liquid tanks, end caps, and seals for electronic cigarettes

ABSTRACT

An electronic cigarette system is provided. The system may use a liquid tank with a cylindrical sleeve having a bore therethrough and with first and second end caps attached to the ends of the sleeve. The end caps may be elastomeric end caps made of a soft material such as silicone and may include a body portion disposed in the sleeve bore and an outer shoulder larger in diameter than the sleeve bore and disposed adjacent an end face on the second end of the sleeve. An O-ring groove may be formed in the body portion and a soft O-ring may be used in the groove. A cylindrical volatizing element may be disposed in first and second holes in the end caps so that the volatizing element passes through the sleeve bore. The volatizing element is connected to an electronic cigarette body and a mouthpiece for use.

THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electronic cigarettes. In particular, examples of the present invention relates to a liquid tank system for electronic cigarettes.

BACKGROUND

Electronic cigarettes are used as an alternative to tobacco smoking as they eliminate many of the harmful chemicals found in tobacco. The electronic cigarettes vaporize a liquid carrier which may include flavoring and nicotine and allow a user to inhale the vaporized liquid. The electronic cigarettes are gaining popularity as a method to assist users to quit smoking tobacco. The electronic cigarettes also eliminate second hand smoke associated with tobacco and the health and pollution problems associated with second hand smoke.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing of an electronic cigarette.

FIG. 2 shows a partially cut-away drawing of the liquid tank.

FIG. 3 shows a cross section view of the tank cap.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective drawing of the tank cap.

FIG. 5 shows an end view of the tank.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the tank.

FIG. 7 shows a partially cut-away view of the tank.

FIG. 8 shows a partially cut-away view of the tank.

FIG. 9 shows a partially cut-away view of the tank.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various examples of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and not limiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. The examples shown each accomplish various different advantages. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly show each element or advantage in a single figure, and as such, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate the various details of the examples in greater clarity. Similarly, not every example need accomplish all advantages of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one having ordinary skill in the art that the specific detail need not be employed to practice the present invention. In other instances, well-known materials or methods have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, “one example” or “an example” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, “one example” or “an example” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable combinations and/or sub-combinations in one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, it is appreciated that the figures provided herewith are for explanation purposes to persons ordinarily skilled in the art and that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

The disclosure particularly describes a liquid tank system for electronic cigarettes. Particularly, the present disclosure describes a liquid tank system which allows a person to easily fill and dispense liquid for use in an electronic cigarette and which allows persons to easily change the appearance and functionality of the tank to customize the tank.

Tobacco smoking has become widespread, with over 1.3 billion smokers worldwide. In the high-income countries, smoking has been in overall decline for decades, although it continues to rise in some groups. In low- and middle-income countries, by contrast, cigarette consumption has been increasing. Death directly related to the use of tobacco is estimated to be at least 5 million people annually. If every tobacco user smoked one pack a day, there would be 1.3 billion packs of cigarettes smoked each day, emitting a large amount of pollutants and causing significant second-hand smoking damages to human health.

Electronic cigarettes frequently replace tobacco cigarettes. The electronic cigarette includes a body, an atomizer, and a liquid. The body typically holds a battery and a switch for powering the electronic cigarette. The atomizer receives electricity from the body and vaporizes the liquid for inhalation. Electronic cigarettes are understood to be significantly safer than tobacco cigarettes as they do not produce combustion products as produced from burning tobacco. Additionally, the liquid does not contain the many harmful chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes. The liquid is typically propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin with flavor additives and nicotine. For these reasons, people currently smoking tobacco cigarettes often use electronic cigarettes to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes. The electronic cigarettes allow the person to eliminate the tobacco smoke and the many adverse health effects that accompany it.

The present system provides a unique tank design that is used in combination with an electronic cigarette body and an atomizer (which may often be a cartomizer). The tank holds the liquid and introduces the liquid to the cartomizer for vaporization and inhalation. The tank allows a person to customize the tanks appearance and functionality by selecting different configurations. The tank allows a person to more easily fill and handle the liquid, reducing spills and inconvenience during use.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a cross-sectional view of an electronic cigarette and tank is shown. The electronic cigarette system may include a body 10. The body 10 typically includes a battery 14, a switch 18, and an electrical connection 22. The electrical connection 22 may be a screw-in socket such as a 510 socket connection. The battery 14, switch 18, and socket 22 may be connected by wires 26 and other components may be included as necessary. A tank 30 includes a cylindrical sleeve 34, tank end caps 38, and a mouthpiece or tip 42. A vaporizing element 46 passes through the tank 30. The vaporizing element 46 may often be a cartomizer. A distal end of the cartomizer 46 is disposed adjacent the inner end of the tip 42. A proximal end of the cartomizer 46 includes a socket connection 50 which attaches to the electrical connection 22 on the body 10.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a more detailed drawing of the tank 30 is shown. The tank 30 is generally cylindrical. The sleeve 34 is typically cylindrical and the cartomizer 46 passes through the central lumen of the sleeve. The sleeve 34 may be formed from a section of plastic tubing such as acrylic tube, or more preferably from a section of glass tube such as pyrex. An appropriate length of glass tube may be cut and drilled and flame polished as desired to form the sleeve 34. As an example, a glass sleeve 34 may have a 17.4 mm inside diameter and a 25.6 mm outside diameter with approximately 4 mm thick walls. Glass tanks, for example, may be cut to length, drilled if necessary, polished if desired, and annealed. The tank 30 holds liquid in an interior cavity 54 located between the cartomizer 46 and the inside of the sleeve 34.

The cartomizer 46 passes through the end caps 38. O-rings 58 may be disposed in grooves 62 located around the outside of the end caps 38 to assist in sealing between the end caps 38 and the inside of the sleeve 34. The end caps 38 include an exterior shoulder 66 which abuts the end face 70 of the sleeve 34. The end caps 38 include a middle body portion 74 which is a smaller diameter than the exterior shoulder 66 and which separates the O-ring groove 62 from the exterior shoulder. An interior shoulder 78 is located inside of the O-ring groove 62. The interior shoulder 78, O-ring groove 62, and body portion 74 are inserted into the lumen of the sleeve 34 during assembly along with O-ring 58 and are located inside of the lumen of the sleeve 34 on an assembled tank 30. FIGS. 3 and 4 show cross-sectional and perspective views of the end cap 38.

The end caps 38 are made of a flexible elastomeric material. According to one example, the end caps 38 are made from a food grade silicone. The end caps 38 may be made from a soft material, such as a 45 shore A durometer silicone. The O-rings 58 are similarly made from a soft material, and may be made from 70 Shore A durometer material. As such, the 0-rings may be made from a harder material than the end caps 38 in some examples. The O-rings may be made from a material which is between about 50 and about 80 Shore A durometer. If desired, the O-rings 58 may also be made from a material with a similar hardness as the end caps 38, and may also be made from a 45 shore A durometer silicone. The end caps 38 and O-rings 58 may be made from an elastomer material with a hardness which is between about 35 and 70 shore A durometer, and more preferably between about 40 and 50 shore A durometer. In one example, the end caps 38 and O-rings 58 may be provided in different colors and O-rings may be selected in a different color than the end caps 38 to provide an appealing visual appearance.

The cartomizer 46 may commonly be about 9.15 mm in diameter. The end caps 38 include a center hole 84 which receives the cartomizer 46. The center hole 84 is typically smaller than the cartomizer 46 in diameter. For a 9.15 mm cartomizer 46, the center hole 84 may be about 8.5 mm in diameter. The inside shoulder 78 and body portion 74 of the end cap 38 are typically slightly larger in diameter than the inside diameter of the sleeve 34. For an example sleeve 34 made from 25.6 mm outside diameter glass, the inside diameter of the sleeve may be about 17.4 mm and the outside diameter of the inside shoulder 78 and the body portion 74 may be about 17.7 mm in diameter. The inside shoulder 78, groove 62, body portion 74, and outside shoulder 66 may all be about 2 mm wide and the groove 62 may accept an O-ring which is 2 mm thick. If desired, the inside shoulder 78 and outside shoulder 66 may be rounded to ease insertion of the end cap 38 into the sleeve 34 and to provide an attractive and comfortable outside shape for the tank 30.

The cartomizer 46 typically consists of a metal or plastic casing which has an air passage through the center thereof and which houses a resistive heater coil in the center thereof adjacent the air passage. The heater coil is surrounded by a fibrous fill material which absorbs the liquid and places the liquid in contact with the heater coil. The heater coil is electrically connected to the battery 14 via switch 18, wires 26, electrical connector 22, and the cartomizer electrical connector 50. The cartomizer 46 is formed with an air passage through the center to allow air to be drawn through the cartomizer and past the heater coil to entrain and dispense the volatized liquid in the tank 30. A hole 76 is typically formed in the shell of the cartomizer to allow liquid from the tank 30 to enter the cartomizer, wet the fibrous fill material, contact the heater coil, and be volatized by the heater coil. A user may press the switch 18 to energize the cartomizer and inhale through the tip 42 to draw air through the cartomizer to thereby inhale the volatized liquid.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the tank 30 may be formed with a fill port 80. The fill port 80 may be formed as a smooth bore through the sleeve 34 in a location where the fill port 80 is in communication with the interior cavity 54 of the tank 30. A plug 82 may include an elastomeric hemispherical end 86 (such as a rounded rubber or silicone plug end) end attached to a finger grip 90. The finger grip 90 may be a knurled cylindrical stud with a protruding threaded shaft 94 which engages the elastomeric end 86. A user may remove the plug 82 to introduce liquid into the tank 30 and replace the plug 82 to use the electronic cigarette.

Referring now to FIG. 5, and end view of the tank 30 is shown. The end cap 38, sleeve 34, and plug 82 may be seen. FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the tank 30. FIG. 7 shows a side view of the tank 30 and cartomizer 46. These views allow additional details of the various structures to be seen. Not all structures have been labeled to assist in clearly observing the shape of the structures.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a partially cut-away view of the tank 30 is shown. The tank 30 may include a fill port 80 formed as a smooth bore through the sleeve 34 as discussed above. A plug 82 may be used to selectively close the fill port 80, allowing a person to remove the plug 82 and add liquid and place the plug 82 in the fill port 80 to use the electronic cigarette. The plug 82 may be elastomeric, and may be formed from a soft rubber or a soft silicone. The plug 82 may include a hemispherical end 86 and a flange 98 extending from the top of the hemispherical end as shown. The flange 98 and top of the plug 82 may be rounded as shown. The plug 82 remains mostly flush to the tank 30 and provides a convenient manner to access the fill port 80. The plug 82 may also be molded in different colors and provide an attractive appearance. FIG. 9 shows a side view of the tank 30 with such a low profile plug 82. FIG. 9 also shows additional views of the O-ring 58 and groove 62 used to seal between the end cap 38 and sleeve 34. The tank 30 is attractive and convenient to use. Users can customize the appearance and functionality of the tank 30 to suit their personal preferences.

The above description of illustrated examples of the present invention, including what is described in the Abstract, are not intended to be exhaustive or to be limitation to the precise forms disclosed. While specific examples of the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible without departing from the broader scope of the present claims. Indeed, it is appreciated that specific example dimensions, materials, voltages, currents, watts, frequencies, power range values, times, etc., are provided for explanation purposes and that other values may also be employed in other examples in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic cigarette system comprising: a tank comprising: a sleeve, the sleeve having a generally circular lumen therethrough; a first end cap attached to a first end of the sleeve; a first hole through the first end cap aligned with the sleeve lumen; a second elastomeric end cap, the second end cap having an outer shoulder larger in diameter than the sleeve lumen and disposed adjacent an end face on a second end of the sleeve, and a groove and an interior shoulder disposed in the sleeve lumen; a second hole through the second end cap aligned with the sleeve lumen; an O-ring disposed in the groove, the O-ring sealing against the sleeve lumen; and a volatizing element disposed in the first hole and second hole such that the volatizing element passes through the sleeve lumen.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second end cap is formed from silicone.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second end cap and the O-ring are between about 35 and 50 shore A durometer.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the groove is separated from the outer shoulder by a body portion.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the body portion and the inner shoulder are approximately the same diameter and the sleeve lumen.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein an interior cavity is formed between the sleeve and the volatizing element, and wherein the interior cavity is fillable with a liquid which may be volatized and inhaled.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the volatizing element has an air passage therethrough and a heating element disposed adjacent the air passage whereby liquid may be volatized by the heating element and inhaled through the air passage.
 8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fill port formed through the sleeve, the fill port being disposed in communication with the sleeve lumen, and a plug selectively disposable in the fill port to close the fill port.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plug comprises an elastomer end disposed in the fill port and a finger grip disposed outside of the sleeve.
 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic cigarette body, the electronic cigarette body having a battery which is electrically connected to the volatizing element.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein a first end of the volatizing element is connected to the electronic cigarette body and a second end of the volatizing element is connected to a mouthpiece.
 12. An electronic cigarette system comprising: a tank comprising: a cylindrical sleeve having a bore therethrough; a first end cap attached to a first end of the sleeve; a first hole through the first end cap aligned with the sleeve bore; a second elastomeric end cap attached to a second end of the sleeve, the second end cap having a body portion disposed in the sleeve bore and an outer shoulder larger in diameter than the sleeve bore and disposed adjacent an end face on the second end of the sleeve; a second hole through the second end cap aligned with the sleeve bore; a cylindrical volatizing element disposed in the first hole and second hole such that the volatizing element passes through the sleeve bore.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second end cap comprises: an O-ring groove formed on the body portion and located inside of the sleeve bore; an O-ring disposed in the O-ring groove to seal against the sleeve bore.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second end cap and the O-ring are both elastomeric.
 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the second end cap and the O-ring are both between about 35 and 50 Shore A durometer hardness.
 16. The system of claim 12, wherein a first end of the volatizing element is attached to an electronic cigarette body having a battery disposed in electrical contact with the volatizing element, and a second end of the volatizing element is attached to a mouthpiece.
 17. An electronic cigarette system comprising: a tank comprising: a cylindrical sleeve having a bore therethrough; a first end cap attached to a first end of the sleeve; a first hole through the first end cap aligned with the sleeve bore; a second end cap attached to a second end of the sleeve; a second hole through the second end cap aligned with the sleeve bore; a cylindrical volatizing element disposed in the first hole and second hole such that the volatizing element passes through the sleeve bore; an interior cavity formed between the sleeve bore and the volatizing element; a fill port formed through the sleeve between the first end cap and the second end cap and disposed in communication with the interior cavity; and a plug selectively disposable in the interior cavity, the plug being removable to allow a user to add liquid through the port and insertable into the port to close the port.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plug has an elastomer end disposed in the fill port and a finger grip disposed outside of the sleeve.
 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the second end cap is elastomeric and includes an exterior shoulder larger in diameter than the sleeve bore and disposed outside of the sleeve bore against an end face of the sleeve, a cylindrical body portion disposed in the sleeve bore, an O-ring groove formed in the cylindrical body portion and spaced apart from the exterior shoulder, and an O-ring disposed in the O-ring groove. 